DEPRESSION and stress was behind almost a fifth of all sick days taken by Sefton teachers last year.

Union officials said figures obtained under the Freedom of Information Act were further proof teaching was now an “impossible job”.

Figures show that out of the 19,374 teaching days lost due to sickness in 2006/7 almost a fifth were due to depression.

Generally 3.5% of school days have been lost to sickness.

The findings come after an ECHO investigation in October revealed stress levels among Liverpool’s teachers had doubled in two years, and that three a week were seeking their union’s help in “floods of tears”.

Education leaders said the figures were too high but insisted they were on top of the problem – in 2005/6 nearly one third of teacher sick days were stress-related.

Sefton councillor Peter Dowd, Labour’s cabinet member for children’s services, said increased teaching assistants, better distribution of funding and a period of stability since the reorganisation of schools in 2004/5 “would have had a knock-on effect” and helped reduce stress levels.